Renault Mégane RS 300 Trophy
Price £31,835
0-62mph 5.7 seconds
Top speed 162mph
MPG 34.4
CO2 183g/km
Eco score ★★☆☆☆
Heading north towards Glasgow earlier this month, a flashing message on one of the huge gantries over the M74 caught my eye: “Don’t let your mates distract you. Drive smart!” We’re so used to seeing the usual “Take a break!”, “Tiredness kills”, “Congestion ahead” type of messages that they wash over us like autumn rain on our windscreens. But this one made me realise that these lonely message boards on otherwise ad-free motorways are a real opportunity to (excuse me) drive home some meaningful truths. How about “Be kinder to each other” or “Phone your mother”, or “Eat less meat”?
In fact, the M74 message is part of a new campaign launched by Road Safety Scotland aimed at 20- to 29-year-old motorists. They are the most at-risk group for being in an accident. The idea was inspired by young men saying that they drove better when carrying a “precious cargo” in their car – like their gran. And Granny will definitely take a dim view of dorkish behaviour, such as texting, speeding or generally being a prat at the wheel.
It’s particularly apposite to the car I was driving that week: the Renault Mégane RS 300 Trophy. If ever there was a car that dangled “behave like a prat” in front of you, this is it. On the other hand, it’s so absorbing to drive that your attention is never likely to wonder. You’ll find yourself so involved in piloting it along the unspooling grey ribbon of tarmac that you’ll have to remind yourself to blink. Sometimes the three-letter word “car” doesn’t do justice to the multi-layered, aero-engineered, all-encompassing sensory experience offered by a vehicle like this. It feels alive. It’s not just an everyday Mégane that’s been zhuzhed up. It’s been given the full-on, hardcore, race-centric treatment to become a RenaultSport Mégane. It’s then been further boosted to become the range-topping RS 300 Trophy.
When you get in, before you press the ignition, it wakes itself up with a four-second welcome routine – throbbing engine noise underlaid with a baseline heartbeat. It’s as if you’ve prodded some slumbering beast and it has shaken itself in readiness. The RS 300 has a lot to shout about: it has 300hp (hence the name – actually, it’s 296hp, but who’s counting?); a tuned chassis with limited-slip differential; a four-wheel steer system; a thumping Bose sound system with seven speakers; front and rear lights that look like they’ve been pinched from a nightclub; pin-sharp “bi-material” lightweight brakes; aluminium pedals; Recaro bucket seats trimmed in faux suede; ceramic ball bearings in the turbocharger… The list goes on.
To drive it’s a curious blend of wild-eyed performance and perfect manners. You can stick it in “comfort” and drive it like a family hatch or opt for one of the “racing” driver modes and fight to keep from ending up in the hedge. To help stop you doing that there is a raft of safety and comfort aids, chief among them the hydraulic compression stops and rear-wheel steering. It’s the only car in its segment to have these: they’re normally found in rally cars and high-end luxury motors such as the Bentley Bentayga or Audi A8. Its looks won’t appeal to all – the gaping, centrally placed sports exhaust reminded my neighbour of his “dog’s arse”, but everyone (even Granny) will be mightily impressed when you drive it responsibly.
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter@MartinLove166
